Leeds

Leeds' population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. Data from the census also show there were changes in marriage, religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 750,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Leeds increased by 5.0%, from just over 715,000 to 751,000.

The addition of about 36,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Leeds was home to, on average, 9.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Leeds

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Leeds decreased by one year, from 36 to 35 years.

This city had the second-lowest average age in Yorkshire and The Humber and remained somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of almost 23,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 5,000.

About 18% of people in Leeds are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Leeds

The percentage of Leeds residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.1% to 3.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 17 (6.1%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 6.8% in 2001. The percentage of Leeds residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 90%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single people in Leeds

Leeds saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (41%) people aged 16 and over in Leeds said they were single, compared with 34% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 47% to 42%.

Across the region, only Kingston upon Hull (from 34% to 42%) and Sheffield (from 34% to 41%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional average grew from 29% to 34%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More students

The percentage of Leeds residents that were studying increased from 3.6% to 5.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 52%, while the percentage of Leeds residents that were unemployed increased from 3.3% to 4.8%.

The proportion of students increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.6% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Leeds increased by 1.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Leeds with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.7% to 8.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (28%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 29% in 2001. The percentage of households in Leeds without children increased from 62% to 64%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Leeds

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 30% said they had no religion. An increase from 18% in 2001 makes this the fastest-growing religious group in Leeds.

The percentage increased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 14% to 26%), but at a faster rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Leeds that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 490,000 in 2001 to just under 420,000 in 2011 (from 69% to 56%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 58,000 to about 51,000 (from 8.1% to 6.8%).

About 41,000 people (3.0%) said they were Muslim, up from about 21,000 in 2001 (5.4%).

The population without a religion in Leeds increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Leeds at a faster rate than across Yorkshire and The Humber.

In Leeds, the proportion of private renting increased from 10% in 2001 to 18% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 9.1% to 16%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 16%.

The rate of social housing in Leeds fell from 25% to 22%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 62% to 58%.

Private renting in Leeds increased by 7.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Leeds

In 2011, 85% of the local population said they were from the White ethnic groups. A decrease from 92% in 2001 makes this the fastest-growing ethnic group in Leeds.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Leeds from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just under 36,000 in 2001 to about 58,000 in 2011 (from 5.0% to 7.8%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just over 10,000 to about 26,000 (from 1.4% to 3.5%).

Just under 20,000 people (1.4%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from about 9,700 in 2001 (2.6%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Leeds decreased by 6.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Leeds residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.8% to 5.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (82%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 68% in 2001. The percentage of Leeds residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 13%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Leeds decreased by 4.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Leeds working less than 16 hours increased from 2.0% to 3.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 12 (8.2%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Leeds increased by 1.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

The percentage of households in Leeds, which comprised a single parent, increased from 9.8% to 11% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (30%) households had a married couple, compared with 33% in 2001. The percentage of households in Leeds, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 9.0% to 11%.

The proportion of single-parent households increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 9.5% in 2001 to 10% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.5% to 11%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Leeds residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.0% to 2.2% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.1%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Leeds remained close to 2.2%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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